Celebrating The European Day of Languages 2020

This year the celebrations for the European Day of Languages 2020 are socially distanced and Covid-secure. We might have to keep two metres apart and wash our hands more but we can still celebrate… and that means cake!

Celebrating the European Day of Languages With Cake

The popular television series ‘The Great British Bake-Off‘ starts this week and I thought I would combine a celebration of the Bake-Off with the European Day of Languages 2020 by re-creating the European Day of Languages logo with chocolate chip sponge and autumn berries. Unfortunately, I’m only human and not a professional baker, so the results are not as striking as the image I had in my head. My family have enjoyed laughing their heads off at my efforts. Thankfully, my colleagues at Atlas Translations are more supportive. My attempt at a European Day of Languages cake is a reasonable effort, however, it definitely won’t be winning any prizes! You will have to believe me when I tell you that it tastes better than it looks.

Compared with the actual logo for the European Day of Languages, then you can just about see a vague similarity. You can… surely… can’t you?

Languages open doors

Speaking another language opens doors to understanding different cultures and we couldn’t agree more. The European Day of Languages is an annual celebration of the amazing variety of languages spoken across Europe, jointly organised by the Council of Europe and the European Union.

Did you know that there are more than 225 languages spoken in Europe? If you only count native speakers, then Russian is the most common spoken language in Europe. The most widely used non-European languages are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi.

There are some fantastic resources on the European Day of Languages website. If you visit the website you will find languages facts and quizzes, as well as interesting information about different languages. Did you know that the longest word in the Welsh language is the name of village on Anglesey Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch which literally translated means St Mary’s in Hollow of the White Hazel near to the Rapid Whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave?

Happy European Languages Day on Saturday 26th September 2020. Will you be having cake too?